Because Nothin' Says 'Summer' Like Lemonade...

Labor Day weekend marks the 'unofficial' end to summer...I'm sad to see it go, but I am SO excited for Fall! Er...at least as much 'Fall' as we can get here in So-Cal...which I guess means the temperature will drop to a brisk 85 degrees? But I digress...
To celebrate this unofficial end of summer, I thought I'd share the Lemonade Stand photos I did with my boys! I liked these so much that I'm thinking next summer I'll have to do some Lemonade Stand mini-sessions...stay tuned!
The boy's super-cute lemon printed shorts are from Miss Ainsley Mae...I found their shop on Instagram...cute stuff! And the Lemonade Stand was built from scratch by Yours Truly...with help from my Husband, of course...and just an FYI: Lowe's will cut wood for you free of charge...and they'll cut it free of charge a second time, too, in case you happened to measure wrong the first time...and I'll let you figure out how I know that...
ANYway, please enjoy our Lemonade Stand photos as we soak up our last few moments of summer!

I mean...if you saw these two cuties selling lemonade on the roadside, wouldn't you stop? ; )

Roy and Cynthia

Usually only photographers get the pleasure of working with couples for both their engagement and their wedding...but I also had that opportunity with my friends Roy and Cynthia!  I was very honored to help them plan their wedding...and I had way too much fun doing it!

I made their wedding invitations from 5X7 pictures, printed vellum and ribbon.

Their ceremony was held at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita.  The stage was home to a large choir loft with lots of chairs, so I made curtains to cover them.  The white arch was the church's but I dressed it up with organza and flowers.

I made the flower balls that hung in the aisles to match the bridesmaids bouquets.

I hung their initials for a personalized touch.

Unity Candle table.

The wedding favors were different flavors of candy suckers.  Each girl in the wedding party decorated a pot and the guests grabbed a sucker from a pot on their way out.  It was a personalized touch and each pot was so cute and different! 

The beautiful Bride and Groom at their sweetheart table at the reception.
Photos by wedding photographer Charles Zablan (www.f8imaging.com).

Bachelorette at the Beach

Bachelorette parties in my world are very, uh, non-traditional.  I much prefer a girl's night in watching movies or a day at the spa...and we did both of those things at Cynthia's bachelorette weekend!

My In-laws generously allowed me to use their beach house in San Diego and I had a blast "redecorating" each room and planning our fun weekend in Cynthia's wedding colors: yellow and blue.

Part of my yellow and blue redecoration.

Had to have snacks ready for the girls when they arrived at the beach house...it was a two hour drive!

Every girl got a bag with essentials for the weekend: flip flops, a beach towel, a journal, body wash and a
Bride/Maid of Honor/Bridesmaid tank top...all yellow and blue!

We ate dinner our first night on the balcony overlooking the beach.  I had so much fun putting this table setting together and making the dessert: "Sandy" Beach Mousse in sand pails!

The centerpieces

Our tank tops!

Roy and Cynthia's Yellow Engagement

My Husband and I were among the first of all our friends to get married.  So when Roy came to us and announced that he'd be proposing to Cynthia, we were so excited!  And when he asked if I'd help him "set the stage" for his proposal, I jumped at the chance.  He gave me very little instructions.  All he said was that he wanted rose petals and when I would try to get more details he would say, "I trust you"...which of course made me crazy nervous because what if he didn't like it?!
Well, I knew Cynthia's favorite color was yellow, so I basically covered the lobby of our church where he was proposing in yellow roses and rose petals...and I must have done okay, because she said yes!  Although, I'm sure her answer had less to do with my decorating and more to do with the guy who proposed. : )